National History Day (NHD) is a highly regarded academic organization for
elementary and secondary school students.
 
Each year, more than half a million students, encouraged by thousands of
teachers nationwide participate in the NHD contest. Students choose
historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive primary and
secondary research through libraries, archives, museums, oral history
interviews and historic sites. After analyzing and interpreting their
sources and drawing conclusions about their topics’ significance in history,
students present their work in original papers, exhibits, performances and
documentaries. These products are entered into competitions in the spring at
local, state and national levels where they are evaluated by professional
historians and educators. The program culminates in a national competition
each June held at the University of Maryland at College Park.
 
In addition to discovering the exciting world of the past, NHD also helps
students develop the following attributes that are critical for future
success:
 
critical thinking and problem-solving skills
research and reading skills
oral and written communication and presentation skills
self esteem and confidence
a sense of responsibility for and involvement in the democratic process
 
More than 5 million students have gone on to careers in business, law,
medicine and countless other disciplines where they are putting into
practice what they learned through NHD.
 
 
                                            -Description from the NHD website